Go Big Read - Shiza Shahid

Last night I had to opportunity to listen to a remarkable woman talk about her experiences with education and the importance of educating girls, and basically educating everyone.

I read the Go Big Read book, I Am Malala late last year when I received it as a Christmas present from my mother.  I had been following Malala's story for awhile up until then and was immediately engrossed in the book.  Because of this I was extremely excited when I heard that I Am Malala was going to be the Go Big Read book this year. 

I did not know much about Shahid going into this lecture, but I quickly found out that she is as much of an inspiration as Malala herself.  At only 25 years old Shiza Shahid has co-founded the Malala Fund and is the CEO of this organization.  At only 20 years old she ran a educational summer camp for girls, including Malala, who were displaced and not allowed to go to school by the Taliban.  The amount that she has accomplished in a seemingly short time is very inspiring and shows that it doesn't matter how young you are, you can create change if you are willing to put the effort in.  There are two big aspects  that I got out of Shiza's lecture.  One is the value that education is a universal human right, something that I am extremely passionate about to begin with, but that many people don't have access to. When Shiza visited Malala in the hospital after she had been shot, she asked her what the world could do to help her.  Malala responded that she was fine "tell them to help the other girls", she said. 

Another thing that stuck with me in this lecture is the fact that just because you are not reaching out on a global level, does not mean that you are not making an impact, quite the opposite actually.  Shiza explained that the Malala Fund focuses the most on working in specific communities and with community leaders (they also work with world leaders, but community is there biggest focus).  By working on a smaller level you can begin to intact change easier and it will be more beneficial to you and the people you are helping.  As an avid volunteer and a member of many volunteer organizations, this stuck home for me.  Shiza also talked about volunteering she was involved in in Pakistan before she went to university.  She explained how she used social media to organize protests, which connected a lot to what we have been talking about in class most recently, especially in the article about social media and the Egyptian Revolution.

Overall this speech was incredible and I am so lucky to go to a university that puts on events like these to no cost to me.  I am extremely lucky to be able to receive a higher education when many women and girls cannot, and Shiz Shahid's talk reminded me to never take that freedom for granted.